Cork-retainer



v (No Medal.)

E. H. MORGAN.

' CORK RETAINER.

No. 301,624. x Patentd July 8, 1884.

" U ITED STATES ATENT 'FFICE.

EDW'ARD H. MORGAN, OF HARTVVELL, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MICHAEL E. KUHN, OFOINCINNATI, OHIO.

GORK-RETAINER.

$PBCIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 301,624, dated July 8, 1884.

Application filed February 27, 1884.

To ttZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDvVARD. H. MORGAN, a resident of Hartwell, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cork-Retainers, of which the following is a specification.

The various features of my invention and the several advantages resulting from their use conjointly or otherwise will be apparent IQ from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front or rear elevation of a retainer, illustrating my invention, and applied to the mouth and upper portion of a bottle, the top of the cork being even, or nearly so, with the top of the mouth of said bottle. Fig. 2 represents an elevation of that side of the said retainer whichis, on the-left hand in Fig. 1, the retainer being applied, as in Fig. 1, to the upper portion of said bottle. Fig. 3 represents a front or rear elevation illustrating the application of my retainer to a bottle and cork, where a part of the cork is above the top of the mouth of the bottle. Fig. 4 represents a 2 side elevation of that side of the device shown in Fig. 8 which is on the left-hand side in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a front view of my retainer, and also of an improved band or strap to secure the retainer to the bottle. Fig. 6 is an eleva- 0 tion of that side of the devices shown inFig. 5 which is onj-the left-hand side in said figure. Fig. 7 represents an elevation of the devices shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and illustrating their application to a cork located in the mouth of 3 5 a bottle. Fig. 8 represents a modification of a portion of my retainer applied to a cork protruding above the month of the bottle.

' The retainer is primarily intended to be used in connection with a cork or stoppleplug of 40 any suitable description. he retainer has a top piece,A, adapted to rest upon the top of the cork or stopple E, and this piece A is provided with two or more side strips, B. These strips B are preferably two in number, one strip be 5 ing located on each side of the piece A. The top piece, A, is of sheet metal or equivalent material, and so are the strips. On the lower or free end of each strip is a catch, 0, in the form of a loop, eye, or hook, to receive and hold a cord, wire, or band, D. This catch is rated.

(No model.)

preferably formed out of the strip B itself by cutting through the strip incisions, as a and b, and bending'or bulging the catch outward beyond the rest of the strip. Where the catch 3 is to assume the form of a hook, one end of the 5 5 catch is cut loose from the strip, and in such event it is the upper end of the catch that is preferably cut loose from the strip, for the reasons hereinafter mentioned. The piece A is provided with small points or projections F, whose free ends point downward, and, when the retainer is applied to the cork E, serves to hold the cork and the retainer from slipping upon each other. These points may come against the outside of the cork or run into the latter. Thus in cases where the top of the cork stopping the mouth of the vessel or bottle is elevated above the top of the said mouth, the sides of the cork are usually bulged outward by compression, and in such event the projections F usually enter the cork, as illustrated in Figs.

3, and 4.. In cases where the top of the cork is about even with the mouth of the vessel or hottle which it stops, each point may pass between the' cork and the inner surface of the mouth 7 5 of the vessel or bottle which such cork stops,

or enter the cork itself, as desired. Vherc the piece A is of less extent between said points F than the diameter of the cork, then the points F preferably always enter the cork. So The top of the piece A. may be perforated by one or more openings. WVhen perforated, but one, and that a large central perforation, is desirable, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 8. The cork will press up into this opening, 8 5 and the corkand the piece A will be prevented from sliding laterally upon each other. For this reason the points F may be omitted in some instances where the piece A is perfo- The strips B are of alength sufficient to enable awire, cord, or band passed through the catches O to catch under or against a swell or other projection on the bottle or other vessel.

The retainer isused substantially as follows: 5 After the cork or stopple has been forced or pushed into that mouth or orifice of the vessel which is to be stopped, the piece A having been previously placed on the top of the cork,

or at this juncture being so placed, a wire or cord orband is passed through the catches and tightened under the said projection o'r swell, as the case maybe, and the ends of said cord, wire, or band are tied, twisted, or otherwise made secure. There the projection or swell E on the bottle or vessel encircles the mouth of said bottle or vessel, a shoulder, e, is formed in the strip, usually when the retainer is first made, and this shoulder comes immediately under the lower side or edge of this swell or projection E, and when the ends of the strip are bound closely to the bottle or vessel by said wire, cord, or band these shoulders assist in preventing the cork-retainer from beprojection or swell on the bottle or vessel is square, the shoulder e on the strip is prefer-' ably made square, the better to engage the aforesaid projection or swell on the bottle or vessel. lVhere a metallic band is employed,

,- a preferred form of such band is shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, and consists of a strip G, of metal. provided at one end with a loop or eye, H. This loop or eye H is preferably made in one piece with the rest of the strip G.

The mode of applying the strip is as follows: The cork having been inserted in the bottle or other vessel, and the retainer also having been placed in position, the end at of the strip is passed through the catches, and then the end m, which latter is preferably made pointed, is passed through the loop and.

the band drawn up tight against the side of the vessel or bottle, and under the swell or projection thereof. The point m of the band is then passed through one of the catches 'O, and the retainer and loop are then secured in position. The length of the slot or loop H is preferably vertical, and its transverse center is below the longitudinal center of the strip. Consequently when the end on of the strip is turned or bent into the adjacent catch 0 the end of the strip occupies an inclined position, and at the slot will bite or bind with the edges of the slot, and thus be securely fastened until the end an is intentionally removed from catch 0; but where the cork is subjected to a considerable degree of pressure from the contents of the bottle or ves sel whose mouth it stops, at least one of the catches is preferably connected at both ends to its strip. The cord, wire, or band, being inserted through the catch, is tightened below the swell or projection of the vessel, and the cord, wire, or band has then no opportunity to ride up or out of the catch, and will not slip out of place; neither will it allow the retainer to be displaced.

In Fig. 8 a modification of a certain feature of my invention is shown, and this modification consists in providing a catch or catches O at the'edge of the strip, preferably of the substance of the strip itself. By incisions, as a a, one end of such catch may, when desired,

be separated from the strip, for the purposes aforementioned.

One of the advantages of cutting loose or separating one end of the catch from the side strip consists in the fact that such a construction allows the operator to apply the securing wire, cord, or band G of the catch in a more rapid and expeditious manner in fastening the catch to the bottle, and also to more readily remove the said wire, cord, or band G from the piece A when the latter is to be removed from the bottle. The reason is that, instead of the tardy process of inserting the wire, cord, or band through the loop formed by the. catch when the latter is connected at both ends to the strip, the said wire, cord,

remainder; and one or more of said features may, so far as applicable, be employed in connection with cork-retainers of descriptions other than those herein specifically described.

What I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cork-retainer consisting of top piece, A, and side. strips, B, each strip being provided with catch 0, formed out of and in one piece with the strip, one or more of said catches being also separated at one end from the strip, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. A cork-retainer consisting of top piece, A, and side strips, B, each strip having a catch, 0, formed by incisions a and I), made in the strip itself, and also separated at one end from the strip, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In combination with a cork-retainer having shoulder e and catches 0, closed at bottom, the band G, provided with vertical slot or loop H, and end m, the transverse center of said slot or loop being to one side of the longitudinal axis of the strip,-substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. In combination, a cork-retainer consisting of piece A, strips B, having catches O, and the band G, provided with vertical slot or loop H, and end m, the transverse center of said slot or loop being to one side of the longitudinal aXis of the strip, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

EDWARD H. MORGAN.

Witnesses:

JNO. W. STREHLI, WALTER OHAMBERLIN. 

